Kansas Cosmosphere Museum

What is now one of the world’s premier space museums was once the dream of a Hutchinson civic leader, Patricia Brooks Carey. Her vision to create one of the first public planetariums in the central United States had humble beginnings. In 1962, the Hutchinson Planetarium opened inside the Poultry Building on the Kansas State Fairgrounds with a used star projector and rented folding chairs.Four years later, the Hutchinson Planetarium relocated to the campus of Hutchinson Community College, in what today houses Dr. Goddard’s Lab.In 1976, Carey and the Hutchinson Planetarium’s board of directors began planning to significantly expand the facility. They sought the advice of former employee Max Ary, who had worked for the planetarium while going to college. Ary was the director of Ft. Worth’s Noble Planetarium at the time and happened to be serving on a Smithsonian committee that placed tens of thousands of space artifacts in museums after the Apollo program concluded.So the Cosmosphere was in the right place at the right time.Launched as the Kansas Cosmosphere and Discover Center in 1980, the new facility featured permanent exhibit galleries in the Hall of Space Museum, one of the first OMNIMAX theaters in the world and the planetarium that started it all.In 1997, the facility was further renovated and expanded to its present size, 105,000 square feet, nearly tripling the area devoted to the Hall of Space Museum. Today the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center is one of the most comprehensive space museums in the world and one of the leading educational tourist attractions in the United States.

The National Museum of the US Air Force is the Air Force\’s official museum, located six miles northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The museum features historical exhibits as well as a stunning array of vintage USAF aircraft.

Explore the journey from DaVinci’s drawings to present-day aviation. Oklahoma’s aerospace heritage is highlighted with the Aviation and Space exhibits at Science Museum Oklahoma. One of the nation’s premier collections, the life-sized artifacts will send imaginations soaring. This exhibit brings high flyers up close and personal to the excitement of the wild blue yonder with everything from a bright yellow Stinson Voyager from 1946 to the mint condition Mong Sport, designed by Tulsa’s own Ralph Mong in the early 1950’s, to World War II parachutes.

With displays ranging from the elegant aeronautic designs of two unknown bike mechanics – Orville and Wilbur Wright – to an actual Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird that can fly at speeds of over 2,000 miles per hour – the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum located in McMinnville, Oregon, has a little something for everyone.The centerpiece of these aeronautic breakthroughs is the original Spruce Goose. Built entirely of wood due to wartime restrictions on metals, this massive airplane stands as a symbol of American industry during World War II.Founded in the memory of Captain Michael King Smith, our exhibits celebrate the lives of innovators, pilots, and veterans who courageously pioneered flight in these remarkable machines. Plan a visit and learn more about the museum as you immerse yourself in history with our ever-expanding attractions and amenities.

Patriots Point Development Authority was established in the mid 1970\’s to develop a naval and maritime museum on Charleston Harbor with the center piece of the museum being the World War II aircraft carrier, the USS YORKTOWN. Patriots Point has become one the state\’s major tourist attractions with more than 270,000 visitors each year. The YORKTOWN boasts one of the largest education and overnight camping programs in the nation, with more than 40,000 school age children attending these programs each year. The Patriots Point Development Authority Board also oversees the stewardship of over 350 acres of property on Charleston Harbor, much of which is currently under lease for a golf course, a hotel, and a collegiate athletic complex. Patriots Point, on the Charleston Harbor in Mount Pleasant, SC, is home of Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum and a fleet of National Historic Landmark ships, including the USS YORKTOWN, Cold War Memorial and the only Vietnam Support Base Camp in the U.S. Patriots Point is also headquarters to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and the agency\’s official Medal of Honor Museum. As an agency, the Naval and Maritime Museum strives to preserve the living history of our nation\’s bravest men and women while telling their stories in honorable, educational and engaging ways.

The Museum\’s mission is to preserve and portray the rich aviation and space history of Colorado Springs and Peterson Air Force Base. The Museum is located within an 8.3 acre Colorado State Historic District. Exhibits feature the WW II Peterson Army Air Base, the Binational (United States and Canadian) North American Aerospace Defense Command, US Air Force and Army Air Defense Commands, and the US Air Force Space Command. The Museum\’s Airpark collection includes sixteen aircraft and ten missiles.

In 1963, George Haddaway, a noted aviation historian and the publisher of “ Flight” magazine, donated his enormous collection of artifacts and archival materials to The University of Texas. This “History of Aviation Collection” was moved from Austin to The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) in the late 1970’s. In 1988, because of problems with public access and space limitations, UTD and Mr. Haddaway forged an agreement with a group of Dallas leaders to make possible the display of part of the collection, in particular most of the physical artifacts at an off-campus site. With the leadership of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, the late William E. “Bill” Cooper, and Jan Collmer, the Frontiers of Flight Museum was formed in 1988 as a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. The City of Dallas agreed to provide space on the mezzanine level of the main terminal building at Love Field. With donations from corporations, individuals, and foundations, exhibits over 5,500 square feet were made available to the public in June 1990. For several years the museum also sponsored popular air shows at Dallas Love Field, but these were discontinued in the early 2000’s as traffic increased at Love Field.The public’s enthusiasm for the Museum and its desire to see more aircraft close-up, along with the increasing attendance, prompted the leadership to embark on an ambitious plan to build the Museum that stands today. A State Transportation Enhancement grant of $7.2 million, along with required matching private gifts of over $2 million enabled construction of the 100,000 square foot Museum, and the new facility opened in June 2004.Currently, over 30 aircraft and extensive display galleries draw aviation buffs, schools, family members to the museum. Popular collections include early biplanes, historically important military and general aviation aircraft, the World War II exhibit, the extensive history of Southwest Airlines exhibit area, numerous commercial airline artifacts, the iconic Chance Vought V-173 Flying Pancake” and the Apollo 7 command module. Visitors can take a chronological walk through the development of human flight from the Leonardo da Vinci parachute to space exploration.Military, commercial, and general aviation as well as space flight are represented at the Museum. The Museum’s working relationship with the History of Aviation Collection at UTD allows access to UTD’s world-renowned aviation collections. As an official affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, the Frontiers of Flight Museum is able to draw major traveling exhibitions.

Intrepid is dedicated to the exhibition and interpretation of history, science and service as related to its home aboard the USS Intrepid, a National Historic Landmark. As you explore the Museum you will be able to examine original artifacts, view historic video footage, and explore interactive exhibits. Visitors can also ride in the A-6 Cockpit Simulator, visit the Virtual Flight Zone, and tour the inside of the world’s fastest commercial airplane, Concorde.

Hill Aerospace Museum is located on the northwest corner of Hill Air Force Base, Utah, about five miles south of Ogden. The museum was founded in 1982 as a part of the United States Air Force Heritage Program and first opened to the public in 1987. It moved to its current facility in 1991. We annually welcome around 160,000 visitors, coming from every state and from many foreign countries. The Museum exhibits more than 90 military aircraft, missiles, and aerospace vehicles on the grounds and inside the Major General Rex A. Hadley Gallery and the Lindquist Stewart Fighter Gallery. Our collection also includes a wide variety of ordnance and munitions, an assortment of aerospace ground equipment, military vehicles, uniforms, and thousands of other historical artifacts.

Home to Space Camp, and Aviation Challenge, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center is recognized as one of the most comprehensive U.S. manned space flight hardware museums in the world. Our facilities include Spacedome Theater, Rocket Park, the Education Training Center, which houses NASA\’s Educator Resource Center, and more.Visitors to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center will experience Huntsville\’s role in the making of the moon rocket, the space race, the Apollo missions, learn about the Space Shuttle program, the International Space Station and NASA\’s future missions. Visitors may trace the evolution of humankind\’s ventures into space and watch as tomorrow\’s potential engineers, scientists and astronauts train in one of the Space Camp or Aviation Challenge Programs.

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport is the companion facility to the Museum on the National Mall. The building opened in December, 2003, and provides enough space for the Smithsonian to display the thousands of aviation and space artifacts that cannot be exhibited at the Museum in Washington, DC. The two sites together showcase the largest collection of aviation and space artifacts in the world.Visitors to the National Air and Space Museum\’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center admire the Monocoupe 110 Special Little Butch and other aircraft hanging from 10-story-high trusses.The Center was named in honor of its major donor, and features the large Boeing Aviation Hangar in which aircraft are displayed on three levels. Visitors can walk among aircraft and small artifacts in display cases located on the floor, and view aircraft hanging from the arched ceiling on elevated skywalks. Many engines, helicopters, ultra-lights, and experimental flying machines are on display in a museum setting for the first time. Among the aviation artifacts on display are the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest jet in the world; the Boeing Dash 80, the prototype of the 707; the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay; and the deHavilland Chipmunk aerobatic airplane.The space shuttle Discovery is the centerpiece of the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar at the National Air and Space Museum\’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.The James S. McDonnell Space Hangar opened in November 2004 and displays hundreds of famous spacecraft, rockets, satellites and space-related small artifacts. The centerpiece of the space hangar is the Space Shuttle Discovery. Other space artifacts include the Gemini VII space capsule; the Mobile Quarantine Unit used upon the return of the Apollo 11 crew; and a Redstone rocket.In addition, the Donald D. Engen Observation Tower provides an excellent location from which visitors can watch air traffic at Dulles Airport. The Center also offers the Airbus IMAX Theater; flight simulators; food service; a museum store; free docent tours; daily educational programs; and school group tours and activities are available.A special feature of the Center is the National Aviation and Space Exploration Wall of Honor. Situated along the entryway to the Center, the Wall of Honor is a permanent memorial to the thousands of people who have contributed to our aviation and space exploration heritage. Names of honorees are inscribed on the air-foil-shaped wall, which will continue to grow in the years to come. One name could be yours!

The Smithsonian Institution\’s National Air and Space Museum maintains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world. It is also a vital center for research into the history, science, and technology of aviation and space flight, as well as planetary science and terrestrial geology and geophysics. The Museum has two display facilities. The National Mall building in Washington, D.C. has hundreds of artifacts on display including the original Wright 1903 Flyer, the Spirit of St. Louis, the Apollo 11 command module, and a lunar rock sample that visitors can touch. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center displays many more artifacts including the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay and Space Shuttle Discovery. The Museum currently conducts restoration of its collection at the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility in Suitland, MD. For years, this facility also displayed many of the Museum\’s artifacts kept in storage. Only guided tours allowed access to this portion of the collection. The new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center displays most of the aircraft and spacecraft previously stored at Garber, many never seen before in a museum setting. The Center will also eventually become the Museum\’s primary artifact restoration facility.

The Friends of the Mitchell Gallery of Flight, Inc. is a non-profit corporation formed to engage in activities to foster and promote the Mitchell Gallery of Flight at General Mitchell International Airport, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.The organization plans and directs a program of both permanent and periodically changing displays, which provides a wide variety of information, education and entertainment for airport visitors and passengers. The totally volunteer organization has built and maintains its own aviation museum, and also publishes a quarterly newsletter, Flightlines. Further, the organization:Locates, acquires, preserves and displays artifacts, memorabilia, photographs and artwork representing the contributions of aviation pioneers from Milwaukee County and Wisconsin.Engages or participates in activities to procure resources in support of the educational and historical objectives of the Gallery; andExtends educational opportunities to the public.The organization administers operation of the Gallery primarily through the solicitation of monetary donations. These are used for funding the cost of creating and installing exhibits, maintaining displays and providing informational publications. The museum is open without admission fee during normal airport hours.

Pima Air & Space Museum, where history takes flight, is one of the largest air and space museums in the world, and the largest non-government funded aviation museum. You\’ll see more than 300 aircraft and spacecraft including many of the most historically significant and technically advanced craft ever produced, both from the United States and throughout the world.The Pima Air & Space Museum offers exclusive bus tours of the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARG), also known as the \”Boneyard.\” The facility is located adjacent to the Museum at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Seats are avaliable on a \”first come first serve\” basis. It is recommended that you purcahse your tickets when the museum opens at 9:00 AM. The tour bus boards at the Museum entrance.

The Board of Education of the DeKalb County School District defines Fernbank Science Center as an integral part of the DeKalb County School District. It is an extension to the regular elementary, secondary, adult and post secondary school program. Fernbank Science Center is designed to enhance the scientific literacy and the related proficiency of the lay, student and professional populations of DeKalb County, the metropolitan area and the state of Georgia. Instructional materials developed at Fernbank Science Center shall be correlated to science courses being taught in the DeKalb schools. Each instructional activity shall be designed to meet the level of understanding of each participating group. Programs conducted by Fernbank Science Center staff members shall be directed toward teacher in-service, a supplement to classroom science curricula, and public presentations.The mission of Fernbank Science Center is to provide extraordinary STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) instruction, exhibits, opportunities and experiences to the DeKalb County School District, the local community and beyond. The science center is dedicated to science literacy and life-long science learning for all people and all ages.The students of the DeKalb County School District receive instruction from science specialists in their field that is aligned to the Georgia Performance Standards but goes beyond regular classroom instruction. Programming is designed to motivate and inspire students to learn more about how science and scientists work and to encourage student achievement in science.Teachers are provided professional learning opportunities that are designed by Fernbank Science Center instructors. These programs, experiences and workshops are content based and grade and area specific.Community based programming is developed as part of Fernbank Science Center’s dedication to continued life-long learners of science for the entire family, and includes exhibits, special programming in the evening and on Saturday and other learning opportunities. These programs are intended to connect the scientific community with the public to promote a better understanding of science and the natural world.

When the Canada Aviation and Space Museum first opened at Uplands Airport in Ottawa in 1960, it presented one of three major collections owned by the Canadian government. At that time, the National Aviation Museum’s focus was on bush flying and early aircraft manufacturers in Canada. A second collection, held by the Canadian War Museum, concentrated on military aircraft from the First World War to the 1950’s, while the third collection held by the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) emphasized military aircraft related to RCAF history.Beginning in 1964, the three collections were amalgamated for public display under a new name, the National Aeronautical Collection, and housed in Second World War era hangars at Ottawa’s historic Rockcliffe Airport. The arrangement, which gave visitors a better perspective on the development and use of aircraft in Canada over the years, proved to be tremendously popular.In 1967, the Museum joined with the Canada Science and Technology Museum, then known as the National Museum of Science and Technology, and the National Aeronautical Collection continued to acquire both military and civil aircraft important to Canadian and world aviation history. The current Museum display building opened in 1988 and was supplemented by the large adjacent Reserve Hangar in 2005. In 1990, the Museum, along with the Canada Science and Technology Museum, was incorporated into the Canada Science and Technology Museum Corporation (CSTMC) and later joined by the Canada Agriculture Museum. In 2000, the National Aviation Museum was officially renamed the Canada Aviation Museum. The internationally renowned collection gives particular, but not exclusive, reference to Canadian achievements. Consequently, more than 130 aircraft and numerous artifacts such as engines, propellers and instruments from many nations are represented in the collection.As Canada’s contribution to the field of aviation and aerospace continues to grow, the Canada Aviation Museum will be growing along with it, by including the representation of human space flight in its mandate and collection. This initiative is the result of a dynamic partnership between the Canadian Space Agency and the Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation. To better reflect the changes in its mandate, the Museum has changed its name to the Canada Aviation and Space Museum. These changes will herald a new direction for the Museum in the development, interpretation, and presentation of its expanded collection.The Canada Aviation and Space Museum continues to engage visitors to the wonder of flight with its new programming, activities, spectacular collection, and special events. The visitor is presented with the story of mankind’s ancient dream of flight celebrating the significant part that aviation has played in affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of Canadians from its beginning in Canada in 1909 to present day. To further provide access to Canada’s aviation heritage, the Museum is set to embark on construction work in spring 2009 that will add two state-of-the-art classrooms fitted for universal access and a multi-purpose auditorium. These enhancements will provide much needed space for programming, outreach activities and special cultural events.The Canada Aviation and Space Museum as Canada’s national museum has earned an international reputation and following and is recognized as having the most extensive aviation collection in Canada and one which ranks among the finest in the world.

The exhibition is divided into five areas: forms of flight, fixed wing, rotary wing, model aircraft and the convertiplane. It tells the great history of flight in all its forms, from pioneer flights in hot-air balloons to the first aircraft in the early 1900s right through to the convertiplane, the perfect fusion of vertical and horizontal flight.The Park and Museum of Flight has plenty of indoor and outdoor areas for children, with space dedicated to the different age brackets. For older visitors there is the simulation area, library, historical archives (consultable online), convention room and film showings.The Volandia Store stocks a wealth of park and museum gifts and mascots and many other wonderful articles.As you walk around the park and museum you can listen to exciting adventures involving the aircraft on show told by volunteers of the “Friends of Volandia” association, whose members include fanatics and former workers at the aircraft companies. If you would like to join the association, just ask.. Members are easy to recognize in their red uniform.The Flight Café is the perfect place to take a break and have something to eat and drink.Volandia makes flight dreams and fun happen.

The Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum was founded in 1982 as the St. Louis Aviation Museum, a tax-exempt, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Initially located at Creve Coeur Airport, then at Spirit of St. Louis Airport, it endured the disastrous floods of 1986 and 1993. The public displays facility was closed in September 2001, at which point its artifacts were transferred into storage.The museum re-opened its doors under the present name at historic St. Louis Downtown Airport in January 2005.

The Strategic Air and Space Museum showcases military aircraft and nuclear missiles used by the US Air Force. It seeks to preserve and maintain these military tools and provide education resources for visitors.

The museum currently owns or has on loan approximately 40 historically significant aircraft. Some have been fully restored while others are pending restoration. Our lineup includes some especially notable airplanes.• Beech Starship• Boeing B-52 Stratofortress• 1934 Model 73 Stearman Trainer• KC 135E refueling tanker• 1927 Laird SwallowExplore our extensive displays of aircraft and engines from throughout the history of modern aviation. Climb our control tower, built in 1941, for a birds-eye view of the surrounding area. Or, with prior arrangement, investigate our wide-ranging archive of more than 200,000 photographs, documents, books and aviation-related memorabilia.The Kansas Aviation Museum focuses on aircraft education and memorabilia with a Kansas connection. Our building and exhibits proudly highlight the pivotal role that Wichita and Kansas played and continue to play in aviation history.

Our organization was first established in March 1990 as a Detachment of the Combat Air Museum of Topeka, Kansas. We began with 15 members, 1 display case and a small office at the Augusta Municipal Airport.Named as Combat Air Museum Det 1 we moved into an empty industrial building at 1304 Money Street in 1991. The organization was incorporated by the State of Kansas in May of 1992 and received our federal recognition by the Internal Revenue Service as a scientific and educational museum that fall. Soon after CAM Det 1 parted with Combat Air Museum and became the Augusta Air Museum. An offer to purchase our 16,500 sq ft present location for 1 dollar was accepted by the Williams Pipeline Company of Tulsa, Oklahoma on December 17, 1993.As the museum grew over the years so did our military donations. In fact, so much more than aviation donations that our board, in 2007, elected to change the museum\’s name to the Kansas Museum of Military History in order to better reflect the collections and exhibits.

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Vintage Aviation Publications is a company founded by a group of passionate Warbirds enthusiasts who love the history and technology Aviation Museums preserve for the public. It is our intention to play a role in safeguarding the heritage of these beautiful machines by providing increased awareness and education through the use of internet based digital media. Vintage Aviation Publications is the publisher of Warbird Digest and Warbirds News